The World Class Leaders Show: The CEO leadership podcast for leaders who solve big problems and build better futures.

Andrea Petrone
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

If you’re a CEO or senior executive, your challenges don’t sound like “I need more leadership tips.” They sound more like: “Why am I still carrying this company on my shoulders?” “Why doesn’t my top team own the strategy the way I do?” “How do I challenge the board or investors without blowing up the relationship?” “How do we build a company that still matters in 10 years, not just hit this year’s numbers?” The World-Class Leaders Show is the CEO leadership podcast built for those questions. Hosted by Andrea Petrone – A Global Influencer, CEO Whisperer, WIley Author, Executive Coach and Speaker – the show goes deep into what it really takes to lead at the top: using power well, doing the identity work of leadership, and making the big decisions that shape the future of your company. Each episode brings real CEO stories and the best business thinkers in the world to the table. You’ll hear how sitting and former CEOs, chairs, and C-suite leaders tackle the biggest business problems of our time – growth, culture, strategy execution, transformation, technology, risk, and talent – and how they stay true to who they are while doing it. You’ll use this podcast to: Get your executive team truly aligned, so you stop re-fighting the same battles in every meeting. Turn strategy into a small set of clear priorities and behaviours your people actually execute. Hold your ground with boards, investors, regulators, and powerful internal stakeholders – and still move the agenda forward. Use your voice and position with more clarity and impact, so people know what you stand for and where the company is going. Find fresh inspiration and language to build a better future for your organization, your people, and the markets you serve – without losing yourself in the role. Featuring leaders from Fortune companies and some of the best thinkers in the world (like Amy Edmondson, Adam Bryant, James Keyes), the show is known for its richness, depth, and straight talk. Ranked in the top 5% of podcasts globally, it’s followed by thousands of CEOs and senior executives who want more than recycled ideas and surface-level conversations. If you care about solving real business problems, shaping the future, and doing the inner work required to lead at the very top, this podcast is for you. Subscribe to The World-Class Leaders Show and upgrade both your leadership – and the future you’re building. For ongoing CEO insights and behind-the-scenes context from each episode, follow Andrea Petrone on LinkedIn.

  1. 3d ago

    242 - What a Near-Death Experience Taught a $500B CIO About Leadership

    I've been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn't normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don't happen anywhere else in your life. We're in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you're a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you: 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21  __________________________________________   Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies  __________________________________________   Most leaders are taught to push harder, move faster, and never give up. But what if that mindset is exactly what puts their health, judgment, relationships, and long-term performance at risk? In this episode, Andrea Petrone sits down with Sébastien Page, Head of Global Multi-Asset and Chief Investment Officer at T. Rowe Price, author of The Psychology of Leadership, and a leader overseeing more than $500 billion in assets under management. Sébastien shares the personal health crisis that forced him to rethink resilience, performance, and the real cost of ambition. This conversation explores what leaders can learn from psychology, sport, finance, and high-pressure decision-making — from feedback and strategic patience to goal-induced blindness, time management, ego, and the importance of meaning in work. Follow Sébastien Page: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastien-page/ Book: The Psychology of Leadership Company: https://www.troweprice.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/@sebastienpage   Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/   Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x   Follow The World Class Leaders Show and Stay updated: Subscribe to The World Class Leader Show: https://shorturl.at/E9WE7 Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/dMRp6 LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/ Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ   Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    47 min

  2. May 28

    241 - Why the Best CEOs Were Forged by Adversity

    I've been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn't normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don't happen anywhere else in your life. We're in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you're a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you: 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21  __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies  __________________________________________ In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I unpack the pattern I've observed across more than a decade of coaching leaders at the top and that Adam Bryant confirmed after interviewing over a thousand of them. The CEOs who perform under the most pressure almost always share the same origin. They were shaped by adversity. Not as a metaphor. As a lived reality that burned away hesitation and replaced it with a kind of drive that can't be taught. I walk through what that adversity actually looks like, why it creates such an unusual capacity for pressure, and the four categories that shape exceptional leaders including the one that dominates all the rest. But I also go into the part nobody warns you about. The same wiring that forged these leaders often becomes the thing that quietly limits them. The inability to ask for help. The instinct to carry everything alone. It feels like strength. It makes things harder. This episode is for CEOs, founders, and senior executives who want to understand where their drive actually comes from and whether the survival instinct that got them here is still working for them, or running the show without their permission. - Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ - Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    9 min

  3. May 21

    240 - Why Most CEOs Are Thinking About AI Wrong

    I've been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn't normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don't happen anywhere else in your life. We're in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you're a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you:   👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21    __________________________________________   Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?   Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies    __________________________________________ Most CEOs are trying to figure out how to turn AI into real strategic value, not just productivity gains. In this episode, Andrea Petrone speaks with Charlene Li, a bestselling author and leadership advisor, about why AI transformation is not just a technological challenge, but also a leadership, cultural, strategic, and decision-making challenge. Charlene explains why the companies that win with AI will be the ones with clear direction, strong leadership conviction, and the courage to break through internal resistance. Follow Our Guest: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli Website: charleneli.com Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/   Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com Instagram: instagra    Follow The World Class Leaders Show and Stay updated: Subscribe to The World Class Leader Show: https://shorturl.at/E9WE7 Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/dMRp6 LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/ Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    48 min

  4. May 14

    239 - Why Great CEOs Fail Under Pressure (And How to Avoid It)

    I've been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn't normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don't happen anywhere else in your life. We're in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you're a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you: 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21  __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies  __________________________________________ In this solo episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I unpack the pattern I've seen destroy more leaders than any market shift ever has. It's not uncertainty that breaks CEOs. It's what uncertainty creates inside them. Under real pressure, most leaders revert to the version of themselves that used to win. I call this Achieved Identity and under pressure, it takes the wheel without asking permission. It feels like leadership. It makes things worse. I walk through the three things that break down every time a leader is under sustained pressure, why the sequence matters, and the exact steps one CEO took to lead through a company in crisis without losing himself in the process. This episode is for CEOs, founders, and senior executives who are carrying real pressure right now and need a clearer sequence for moving through it without losing themselves in the process.   - Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ - Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    12 min

  5. May 7

    238 - The Truth That Almost Cost This CEO Everything

    I’ve been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn’t normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don’t happen anywhere else in your life. We’re in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you’re a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you: 👉🏻 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉🏻 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies __________________________________________ AI is not going to destroy every software company — but it may expose the ones without a clear strategy. In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, host Andrea Petrone is joined by Dr John Bates, CEO of Doxis, a former Cambridge computer science academic, and a technology leader who has built and led five successful companies. John shares what he has learned from leading through the dotcom crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, COVID, and today’s AI disruption. He explains why CEOs must stay focused on business value, sharpen their positioning, and avoid panicking when markets shift. The conversation explores AI, crisis leadership, competing with giants like Microsoft and Box, the burden of CEO transparency, and why every leader needs trusted people around them when pressure is high. John also reflects on why transformation can be more powerful than starting from scratch, why great CEOs must sometimes act as agitators, and what it really takes to lead with clarity when uncertainty never seems to end.   Follow Our Guest: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjohnbates Learn more about Doxis: https://www.doxis.com Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/   Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreapetrone_x/   Follow The World Class Leaders Show and Stay updated: Subscribe to The World Class Leader Show: https://shorturl.at/E9WE7 Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/dMRp6 LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/ Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ   Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    44 min

  6. Apr 30

    237 - What Tim Cook just taught every CEO about knowing when to change

    I've been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn't normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don't happen anywhere else in your life. We're in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you're a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you: 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21  __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies  __________________________________________ In this solo episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I explore one of the most difficult leadership risks for CEOs to recognise: the moment when the operating mode that created success begins to limit the organisation. Using Tim Cook’s transition at Apple as a lens, I examine how strength, identity, and context can quietly fall out of alignment at the top. This episode is for CEOs, founders, successors, and senior executives who sense that what used to work is no longer creating the same momentum. I explain why leadership identity is not fixed, why operating modes have a shelf life, and why the most important work for a CEO is often not becoming more capable, but becoming more appropriate to the moment the business is actually in.   - Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ - Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    14 min

  7. Apr 23

    236 - She Leads 50,000 People. Here's What She Refused to Do on Day One.

    We’re opening doors to WCL21. The first private and exclusive community for CEOs who want to grow their leadership, pressure-test decisions, and create meaningful connections with other peers in a trusted environment. 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21  __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies  __________________________________________ Most leaders say they’re ready for change. Very few are ready to lead when the answers are incomplete, trust is not yet earned, and the pace keeps accelerating. In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, Andrea Petrone sits down with Francesca Lagerberg, CEO of Baker Tilly International, to explore what leadership really demands in today’s environment: building trust fast, making decisions without perfect information, leading through ambiguity, and creating the kind of mindset that helps organizations adapt at scale. Francesca shares what it was really like stepping into the CEO role as an outsider, how she approached her first 90 days, why trust must be earned before strategy can land, and what leaders often misunderstand about leading change in large, complex organizations. This conversation also goes deeper into the future of leadership: the role of AI in knowledge-based businesses, how companies should think about upskilling talent at scale, why diversity of thinking matters more than ever, and what it actually feels like to carry the responsibility of the CEO seat. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to build trust and credibility in a new leadership role Why the best CEOs make decisions before all the information is available What it takes to lead change at scale inside a complex organization The difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset in leadership Why repetition, consistency, and role modeling are critical in transformation How AI is reshaping knowledge work and leadership development What Francesca has learned about pressure, resilience, legacy, and the real meaning of being a CEO If you’re a CEO, senior executive, founder, or aspiring leader navigating growth, pressure, and uncertainty, this episode will give you a practical and honest look at what world-class leadership requires now. Subscribe for more conversations with world-class leaders on leadership, transformation, CEO mindset, and decision-making in high-stakes environments.   Timestamps [00:00] - Teaser and introduction of Francesca Lagerberg [02:48] - Walking into a new organization as an outsider [04:39] - Building trust and credibility as a new CEO [07:21] - The 90-day plan, quick wins, and resisting pressure to move too fast [09:09] - A non-linear career path across audit, tax, advisory, and beyond [11:28] - Leading through change on incomplete information [16:32] - Communicating strategy through repetition across 50,000 people [22:11] - The fusion of humanity and AI in knowledge-based industries [24:32] - Rethinking retention and maximizing shorter tenures [30:03] - Being the first woman to lead a global accounting network [33:44] - Diversity of thinking and the empty chair technique [38:39] - What it really means to be a CEO and why it's worth it [41:16] - Handling pressure and the power of collaboration [46:03] - Legacy, going for it, and advice for aspiring CEOs [47:47] - Trusting your gut, building great teams, and keeping your humor   Follow Our Guest  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescalagerberg/ Website: https://www.bakertilly.global/   Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on: LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreapetrone_x/    Follow The World Class Leaders Show and Stay updated: Subscribe to The World Class Leader Show: https://shorturl.at/E9WE7  Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/dMRp6  LinkedIn:  https://uk.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ   If you’re a CEO, senior leader, or aspiring executive navigating change, this conversation with Francesca Lagerberg offers valuable guidance on earning trust, leading through ambiguity, and building momentum in complex organizations.

    50 min

  8. Apr 16

    235 - The 5 Mistakes New CEOs Make in Their First 6 Months

    We’re opening doors to WCL21. The first private and exclusive community for CEOs who want to grow their leadership, pressure-test decisions, and create meaningful connections with other peers in a trusted environment. 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21  __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies  __________________________________________ The first six months as a new CEO is where authority is decided, where the leadership team forms its view of you, and where the organisation calibrates to your signals. Most new CEOs who struggle don't fail because they lack capability. They fail because they make early mistakes that feel like the right call at the time. In this solo episode, I walk through five specific mistakes I see new CEOs make in their first six months — the impulse to prove you deserve the role, the quiet retreat into a former expert identity, the delay in confronting leadership team gaps, the failure to align with the board before aligning the organisation, and the corrosive gap between stated values and actual behaviour. These aren't theoretical risks. They are patterns that compound fast, and each one carries a cost that grows the longer it goes unaddressed.   - Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/ - Want to become a world-class leader? Join 155,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/

    17 min
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16 Ratings

About

If you’re a CEO or senior executive, your challenges don’t sound like “I need more leadership tips.” They sound more like: “Why am I still carrying this company on my shoulders?” “Why doesn’t my top team own the strategy the way I do?” “How do I challenge the board or investors without blowing up the relationship?” “How do we build a company that still matters in 10 years, not just hit this year’s numbers?” The World-Class Leaders Show is the CEO leadership podcast built for those questions. Hosted by Andrea Petrone – A Global Influencer, CEO Whisperer, WIley Author, Executive Coach and Speaker – the show goes deep into what it really takes to lead at the top: using power well, doing the identity work of leadership, and making the big decisions that shape the future of your company. Each episode brings real CEO stories and the best business thinkers in the world to the table. You’ll hear how sitting and former CEOs, chairs, and C-suite leaders tackle the biggest business problems of our time – growth, culture, strategy execution, transformation, technology, risk, and talent – and how they stay true to who they are while doing it. You’ll use this podcast to: Get your executive team truly aligned, so you stop re-fighting the same battles in every meeting. Turn strategy into a small set of clear priorities and behaviours your people actually execute. Hold your ground with boards, investors, regulators, and powerful internal stakeholders – and still move the agenda forward. Use your voice and position with more clarity and impact, so people know what you stand for and where the company is going. Find fresh inspiration and language to build a better future for your organization, your people, and the markets you serve – without losing yourself in the role. Featuring leaders from Fortune companies and some of the best thinkers in the world (like Amy Edmondson, Adam Bryant, James Keyes), the show is known for its richness, depth, and straight talk. Ranked in the top 5% of podcasts globally, it’s followed by thousands of CEOs and senior executives who want more than recycled ideas and surface-level conversations. If you care about solving real business problems, shaping the future, and doing the inner work required to lead at the very top, this podcast is for you. Subscribe to The World-Class Leaders Show and upgrade both your leadership – and the future you’re building. For ongoing CEO insights and behind-the-scenes context from each episode, follow Andrea Petrone on LinkedIn.

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